Systems and methods for selecting a scanning device for an object

ABSTRACT

A system may include a storage device that stores executable instructions, and at least one processor in communication with the storage device. When executing the executable instructions, the at least one processor may be configured to cause the system to obtain information relating to an object; determine a target operation mode for the object according to the information relating to the object; obtain information relating to previous operations of a plurality of candidate scanning devices from a database; select a target scanning device for the object according to the target operation mode and the information relating to the previous operations of the plurality of candidate scanning devices; and generate a schedule for operating the target scanning device to scan the object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication No. 17,079,527, filed on Oct. 26, 2020, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/023,295(now U.S. Pat. No. 10,818,391), filed on Jun. 29, 2018, which is aContinuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2017/120310, filedon Dec. 29, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to an imaging system, and moreparticularly, relates to systems and methods for selecting a scanningdevice for an object.

BACKGROUND

In a medical imaging system (e.g., a hospital), a plurality of scanningdevices (e.g., computed tomography (CT) scanning devices) may beavailable for operations. For an object (e.g., a patient or a partthereof) to be scanned by one of the scanning devices, it is desirableto provide systems and methods that are capable of scheduling a scanningoperation among the scanning devices.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a system is provided.The system may include a storage device that stores executableinstructions, and at least one processor in communication with thestorage device. When executing the executable instructions, the at leastone processor may be configured to cause the system to obtaininformation relating to an object. The at least one processor may alsocause the system to determine a target operation mode for the objectaccording to the information relating to the object. The at least oneprocessor may also cause the system to determine a target operation modefor the object according to the information relating to the object. Theat least one processor may also cause the system to obtain informationrelating to previous operations of a plurality of candidate scanningdevices from a database. The database may store information relating tooperations performed by the plurality of candidate scanning devices. Theat least one processor may also cause the system to select, among theplurality of candidate scanning devices, a target scanning device forthe object according to the target operation mode and the informationrelating to the previous operations of the plurality of candidatescanning devices. The at least one processor may also cause the systemto generate a schedule for operating the target scanning device to scanthe object. The at least one processor may further cause the system toupdate, after the target scanning device scans the object, theinformation relating to operations performed by the target scanningdevice in the database.

In some embodiments, the at least one processor may further cause thesystem to determine the target operation mode based on at least one of atarget portion of the object to be scanned, a scanning parameterassociated with a scanning to be performed on the object, or an imagereconstruction parameter associated with a scanning to be performed onthe object.

In some embodiments, the at least one processor may further cause thesystem to obtain information relating to most recent operations of theplurality of candidate scanning devices and select the target scanningdevice for the object according to the target operation mode and theinformation relating to the most recent operation of the target scanningdevice.

In some embodiments, the at least one processor may further cause thesystem to obtain information relating to a plurality of previousoperations of the plurality of candidate scanning device and select thetarget scanning device for the object according to the target operationmode and the information relating to the plurality of previousoperations of the target scanning device.

In some embodiments, the target operation mode may be associated with aCT enhanced scanning or a CT plain scanning.

In some embodiments, the at least one processor may further cause thesystem to obtain a first plurality of scannings to be performed on thetarget scanning device and determine, for the first plurality ofscannings, a ranking according to which the target scanning device isconfigured to perform the first plurality of scannings. The firstplurality of scannings may include the scanning to be performed on theobject associated with the target operation mode.

In some embodiments, the at least one processor may further cause thesystem to determine the ranking for the first plurality of scanningsbased on a most recent operation of the target scanning device.

In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of candidate scanningdevices may be configured to perform a second plurality of scanningsaccording to a same gantry rotation time.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method isprovided. The method may be implemented on a computing device thatincludes a storage device and a processor. The method may includeobtaining, by the processor, information relating to an object. Themethod may also include determining, by the processor, a targetoperation mode for the object according to the information relating tothe object. The method may also include obtaining, by the processor,information relating to previous operations of a plurality of candidatescanning devices from a database. The database may store informationrelating to operations performed by the plurality of candidate scanningdevices. The method may also include selecting, by the processor, amongthe plurality of candidate scanning devices, a target scanning devicefor the object according to the target operation mode and theinformation relating to the previous operations of the plurality ofcandidate scanning devices. The method may also include generating, bythe processor, a schedule for operating the target scanning device toscan the object. The method may further include updating, by theprocessor, after the target scanning device scans the object, theinformation relating to operations performed by the target scanningdevice in the database.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, anon-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer programproduct is provided. The computer program product may includeinstructions configured to cause a computing device to obtaininformation relating to an object. The instructions may also cause thecomputing device to determine a target operation mode for the objectaccording to the information relating to the object. The instructionsmay also cause the computing device to obtain information relating toprevious operations of a plurality of candidate scanning devices from adatabase. The database may store information relating to operationsperformed by the plurality of candidate scanning devices. Theinstructions may also cause the computing device to select, among theplurality of candidate scanning devices, a target scanning device forthe object according to the target operation mode and the informationrelating to the previous operations of the plurality of candidatescanning devices. The instructions may also cause the computing deviceto generate a schedule for operating the target scanning device to scanthe object. The instructions may also cause the computing device toupdate, after the target scanning device scans the object, theinformation relating to operations performed by the target scanningdevice in the database.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a system isprovided. The system may include an obtaining module configured toobtain information relating to an object, and obtain informationrelating to previous operations of a plurality of candidate scanningdevices from a database. The database may store information relating tooperations performed by the plurality of candidate scanning devices. Thesystem may also include a determination module configured to determine atarget operation mode for the object according to the informationrelating to the object. The system may also include a selection moduleconfigured to select, among the plurality of candidate scanning devices,a target scanning device for the object according to the targetoperation mode and the information relating to the previous operationsof the plurality of candidate scanning devices. The system may alsoinclude a scheduling module configured to generate a schedule foroperating the target scanning device to scan the object. The system mayfurther include an updating module configured to update, after thetarget scanning device scans the object, the information relating tooperations performed by the target scanning device in the database.

Additional features will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the artupon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or maybe learned by production or operation of the examples. The features ofthe present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or useof various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities, andcombinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described in terms of exemplaryembodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in detail withreference to the drawings. These embodiments are non-limiting exemplaryembodiments, in which like reference numerals represent similarstructures throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary imaging systemaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of a computing device according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of a mobile device according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processing engineaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for scanning anobject according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for scanning anobject according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for operating ascanning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the present disclosure and is provided in thecontext of a particular application and its requirements. Variousmodifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein maybe applied to other embodiments and applications without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the presentdisclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown but is to be accordedthe widest scope consistent with the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise,”“comprises,” and/or “comprising,” “include,” “includes,” and/or“including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that the term “system,” “engine,” “unit,” and/or“module” used herein are one method to distinguish different components,elements, parts, section or assembly of different level in ascendingorder. However, the terms may be displaced by another expression if theyachieve the same purpose.

Generally, the word “module” or “unit” as used herein, refers to logicembodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of softwareinstructions. A module or a unit described herein may be implemented assoftware and/or hardware and may be stored in any type of non-transitorycomputer-readable medium or another storage device. In some embodiments,a software module/unit may be compiled and linked into an executableprogram. It will be appreciated that software modules can be callablefrom other modules/units or from themselves, and/or may be invoked inresponse to detected events or interrupts. Software modules/unitsconfigured for execution on computing devices (e.g., processor 220 asillustrated in FIG. 2 ) may be provided on a computer-readable medium,such as a compact disc, a digital video disc, a flash drive, a magneticdisc, or any other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and can beoriginally stored in a compressed or installable format that needsinstallation, decompression, or decryption prior to execution). Suchsoftware code may be stored, partially or fully, on a storage device ofthe executing computing device, for execution by the computing device.Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. Itwill be further appreciated that hardware modules/units may be includedin connected logic components, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or canbe included of programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays orprocessors. The modules/units or computing device functionalitydescribed herein may be implemented as software modules/units, but maybe represented in hardware or firmware. In general, the modules/unitsdescribed herein refer to logical modules/units that may be combinedwith other modules/units or divided into sub-modules/sub-units despitetheir physical organization or storage. The description may beapplicable to a system, an engine, or a portion thereof.

It will be understood that when a unit, engine or module is referred toas being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to,” another unit, engine, ormodule, it may be directly on, connected or coupled to, or communicatewith the other unit, engine, or module, or an intervening unit, engine,or module may be present, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present disclosure,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, may become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings, allof which form a part of the present disclosure. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration and description only and are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. It is understood that the drawings arenot to scale.

The flowcharts used in the present disclosure illustrate operations thatsystems implement according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. It is to be expressly understood, the operations of theflowcharts may be implemented not in order. Conversely, the operationsmay be implemented in inverted order, or simultaneously. Moreover, oneor more other operations may be added to the flowcharts. One or moreoperations may be removed from the flowcharts.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary imaging system 100according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the imaging system 100 may be a single modality imagingsystem including, for example, a digital subtraction angiography (DSA)system, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, a computed tomographyangiography (CTA) system, a positron emission tomography (PET) system, asingle photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system, a computedtomography (CT) system, a digital radiography (DR) system, etc. In someembodiments, the imaging system 100 may be a multi-modality imagingsystem including, for example, a positron emission tomography-computedtomography (PET-CT) system, a positron emission tomography-magneticresonance imaging (PET-MRI) system, a single photon emission computedtomography-positron emission tomography (SPECT-PET) system, a digitalsubtraction angiography-magnetic resonance imaging (DSA-MRI) system,etc.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the imaging system 100 may include one or morescanning devices 110, a processing engine 120, a network 130, a storagedevice 140, and one or more terminal devices 150. In some embodiments,the scanning device(s) 110, the processing engine 120, the storagedevice 140, and/or the terminal device(s) 150 may be connected to and/orcommunicate with each other via a wireless connection (e.g., the network130), a wired connection, or any combination thereof.

The scanning device(s) 110 may generate or provide image data viascanning an object, or a part of the object. The scanning device(s) 110may include a plurality of scanning devices (e.g., a scanning device110-1, a scanning device 110-2, . . . , a scanning device 110-n). Theplurality of scanning devices may be of same or different modalities.For example, the plurality of scanning devices may be of the samesingle-modality scanning device, e.g., a CT scanning device. As anotherexample, the plurality of scanning devices may include both asingle-modality scanning device and a multi-modality scanning device. Insome embodiments, a scanning device (e.g., the scanning device 110-1)may operate in various operation modes. Different operation modes may beused under different conditions (e.g., different objects to be scanned,different requirements with respect to the scanning results). Forexample, the scanning device 110-1 may operate in a low-dose physicalexamination mode to deliver the least dosage of radiation toward anobject. As another example, the scanning device 110-1 may operate in anemergency operation mode when the least time is used to generate thescanning results. As still another example, the scanning device 110-1may operate in a coronary heart disease operation mode when a heartregion of a patient is to be scanned.

The object being scanned may include a body, substance, or the like, orany combination thereof. In some embodiments, the object may include aspecific portion of a body, such as a head, a thorax, an abdomen, or thelike, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the object mayinclude a specific organ, such as an esophagus, a trachea, a bronchus, astomach, a gallbladder, a small intestine, a colon, a bladder, a ureter,a uterus, a fallopian tube, etc.

The scanning device(s) 110 may communicate with the processing engine120, the network 130, the storage device 140, and/or the terminaldevice(s) 150. For example, the scanning device(s) 110 may transmit theimage data to the processing engine 120, the storage device 140, and/orthe terminal device(s) 150 via, for example, the network 130. The imagedata may be sent to the processing engine 120 for further processing ormay be stored in the storage device 140. As another example, thescanning device(s) 110 may transmit information relating to a scanning(e.g., scanning parameters) performed on an object to the storage device140 after the scanning device(s) 110 scans the object.

The processing engine 120 may process data and/or information obtainedfrom the scanning device(s) 110, the storage device 140, and/or theterminal device(s) 150. For example, the processing engine 120 mayreconstruct an image (e.g., a CT image) based on the image data obtainedfrom the scanning device(s) 110. Additionally or alternatively, theprocessing engine 120 may be configured to control the operations of thescanning device(s) 110 (e.g., the operations of the scanning devices110-1, 110-2, . . . , 110-n), the storage device 140, and/or theterminal device(s) 150. For example, the processing engine 120 mayschedule the operations of the scanning device(s) 110 when one or moreobjects need scanning. Specifically, the processing engine 120 mayselect a scanning device (e.g., the scanning device 110-1) for an objectand arrange the time to scan the object by the selected scanning device.In some embodiments, the operations of the scanning device(s) 110 may bescheduled according to the information relating to the object (e.g., thetarget portion of the object), and/or the operation information of thescanning device(s) 110 (e.g., the most recent operations of theplurality of scanning devices 110-1, 110-2, . . . , 110-n).

In some embodiments, the processing engine 120 may be a single server ora server group. The server group may be centralized or distributed. Insome embodiments, the processing engine 120 may be local to or remotefrom one or more other components of the imaging system 100. Forexample, the processing engine 120 may access information and/or datafrom the scanning device(s) 110, the storage device 140, and/or theterminal device(s) 150 via the network 130. As another example, theprocessing engine 120 may be directly connected to the scanningdevice(s) 110, the storage device 140, and/or the terminal device(s) 150to access information and/or data. In some embodiments, the processingengine 120 may be implemented on a cloud platform. For example, thecloud platform may include a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybridcloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an inter-cloud, amulti-cloud, or the like, or any combination thereof.

The network 130 may include any suitable network that can facilitate theexchange of information and/or data for the imaging system 100. In someembodiments, one or more components of the imaging system 100 (e.g., thescanning device(s) 110, the processing engine 120, the storage device140, and/or the terminal device 150(s)) may communicate informationand/or data with one or more other components of the imaging system 100via the network 130. For example, the processing engine 120 may obtainimage data from the scanning device(s) 110 via the network 130. Asanother example, the processing engine 120 may obtain user instructionsfrom the terminal device(s) 150 via the network 130. The network 130 mayinclude a public network (e.g., the Internet), a private network (e.g.,a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN)), etc.), a wirednetwork (e.g., an Ethernet network), a wireless network (e.g., an 802.11network, a Wi-Fi network, etc.), a cellular network (e.g., a Long TermEvolution (LTE) network), a frame relay network, a virtual privatenetwork (“VPN”), a satellite network, a telephone network, routers,hubs, witches, server computers, or the like, or any combinationthereof. For example, the network 130 may include a cable network, awireline network, a fiber-optic network, a telecommunications network,an intranet, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a metropolitan areanetwork (MAN), a public telephone switched network (PSTN), a Bluetooth™network, a ZigBee™ network, a near field communication (NFC) network, orthe like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the network130 may include one or more network access points. For example, thenetwork 130 may include wired and/or wireless network access points suchas base stations and/or internet exchange points through which one ormore components of the imaging system 100 may be connected to thenetwork 130 to exchange data and/or information.

The storage device 140 may store data, instructions, and/or any otherinformation. In some embodiments, the storage device 140 may store dataobtained from the scanning device(s) 110, the processing engine 120and/or the terminal device(s) 150. In some embodiments, the data storedin the storage device 140 may be organized in a hierarchical manner. Forexample, the information relating to operations of the scanningdevice(s) 110 may be stored in a first level, and the informationrelating to one or more objects being scanned may be stored in a secondlevel. The first level and the second level may be connected through amapping table that associates the information in the first level withthe information in the second level. In some embodiments, the storagedevice 140 may store data and/or instructions that the processing engine120 may execute or use to perform exemplary methods described in thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, the storage device 140 mayinclude a mass storage, a removable storage, a volatile read-and-writememory, a read-only memory (ROM), or the like, or any combinationthereof. Exemplary mass storage may include a magnetic disk, an opticaldisk, a solid-state drive, etc. Exemplary removable storage may includea flash drive, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a memory card, a zipdisk, a magnetic tape, etc. Exemplary volatile read-and-write memory mayinclude a random access memory (RAM). Exemplary RAM may include adynamic RAM (DRAM), a double date rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDRSDRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a thyristor RAM (T-RAM), a zero-capacitorRAM (Z-RAM), etc. Exemplary ROM may include a mask ROM (MROM), aprogrammable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), anelectrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a compact disk ROM(CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk ROM, etc. In some embodiments, thestorage device 140 may be implemented on a cloud platform as describedelsewhere in the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the storage device 140 may be connected to thenetwork 130 to communicate with one or more other components in theimaging system 100 (e.g., the scanning device(s) 110, the processingengine 120, or the terminal device(s) 150). One or more components inthe imaging system 100 may access the data or instructions stored in thestorage device 140 via the processing engine 120. In some embodiments,the storage device 140 may be part of the processing engine 120.

The terminal device(s) 150 may be connected to and/or communicate withthe scanning device(s) 110, the processing engine 120, the network 130,and/or the storage device 140. For example, the processing engine 120may obtain a scanning protocol from the terminal device(s) 150. Asanother example, the terminal device(s) 150 may obtain image data fromthe scanning device(s) 110 and/or the storage device 140. In someembodiments, the terminal device(s) 150 may include a mobile device 151,a tablet computer 152, a laptop computer 153, or the like, or anycombination thereof. The mobile device 151 may include a mobile phone, apersonal digital assistance (PDA), a gaming device, a navigation device,a point of sale (POS) device, a laptop, a tablet computer, a desktop, orthe like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the terminaldevice(s) 150 may include an input device, an output device, etc. Theinput device may include alphanumeric and other keys that may be inputvia a keyboard, a touch screen (for example, with haptics or tactilefeedback), a speech input, an eye tracking input, a brain monitoringsystem, or any other comparable input mechanism. The input informationreceived through the input device may be transmitted to the processingengine 120 via, for example, a bus, for further processing. Other typesof the input device may include a cursor control device, such as amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys. The output device mayinclude a display, a speaker, a printer, or the like, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the terminal device(s) 150 may be part ofthe processing engine 120.

This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit thescope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives, modifications, andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features,structures, methods, and characteristics of the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additionaland/or alternative exemplary embodiments. For example, the storagedevice 140 may be a data storage including cloud computing platforms,such as, public cloud, private cloud, community, hybrid clouds, etc. Insome embodiments, the processing engine 120 may be integrated into thescanning device(s) 110. However, those variations and modifications donot depart the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of a computing device 200 according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. The processing engine 120 may beimplemented on the computing device 200 via its hardware, softwareprogram, firmware, or any combination thereof. Although only one suchcomputing device is shown, for convenience, the functions of theprocessing engine 120 described in the present disclosure may beimplemented in a distributed fashion on a number of similar platforms,to distribute the processing load. The computing device 200 may includean internal communication bus 210, a processor 220 (or a CPU), a programstorage and data storage of different forms (e.g., a disk 270, aread-only memory (ROM) 230, or a random access memory (RAM) 240),communication (COM) ports 250, and an I/O 260.

The processor 220 may execute program instructions stored in a storagedevice (e.g., disk 270, ROM 230, RAM 240) to perform one or morefunctions of the processing engine 120 described in the presentdisclosure. The processor 220 may include a central processing unit(CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), anapplication-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), a physics processing unit (PPU), a digital signalprocessor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmablelogic device (PLD), a microcontroller unit, an advanced RISC machinesprocessor (ARM), or the like, or a combination thereof.

The I/O 260 may input and/or output signals, data, information, etc. Insome embodiments, the I/O 260 may enable a user interaction with theprocessing engine 120. In some embodiments, the I/O 260 may include aninput device and an output device. Examples of the input device mayinclude a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a microphone, or the like,or any combination thereof. Examples of the output device may include adisplay device, a loudspeaker, a printer, a projector, or the like, orany combination thereof. Examples of the display device may include aliquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED)-baseddisplay, a flat panel display, a curved screen, a television device, acathode ray tube (CRT), a touch screen, or the like, or any combinationthereof.

The communication (COM) ports 250 may be connected to a network (e.g.,the network 130) to facilitate data communications. The COM ports 250may establish connections between the scanning device(s) 110, theprocessing engine 120, the storage device 140, and/or the terminaldevice(s) 150. The connection may be a wired connection, a wirelessconnection, any other communication connection that can enable datatransmission and/or reception, and/or any combination of theseconnections. The wired connection may include, for example, anelectrical cable, an optical cable, a telephone wire, or the like, orany combination thereof. The wireless connection may include, forexample, a Bluetooth™ link, a Wi-Fi™ link, a WiMax™ link, a WLAN link, aZigBee link, a mobile network link (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), or thelike, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the COM ports 250may be and/or include a standardized communication port, such as RS232,RS485, etc. In some embodiments, the COM ports 250 may be a speciallydesigned communication port. For example, the COM ports 250 may bedesigned in accordance with the digital imaging and communications inmedicine (DICOM) protocol.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of a mobile device 300 according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the processing engine120 and/or the terminal device(s) 150 may be implemented on the mobiledevice 300 via its hardware, software program, firmware, or anycombination thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the mobile device 300may include a communication module 310, a display 320, a graphicprocessing unit (GPU) 330, a processor 340, an I/O 350, a memory 360,and a storage 390. In some embodiments, any other suitable component,including but not limited to a system bus or a controller (not shown),may also be included in the mobile device 300. In some embodiments, amobile operating system 370 (e.g., iOS™, Android™, Windows Phone™) andone or more applications 380 may be loaded into the memory 360 from thestorage 390 in order to be executed by the processor 340. Theapplications 380 may include a browser or any other suitable mobile appsfor receiving and rendering information with respect to data processingor other information from the processing engine 120. User interactionswith the information stream may be achieved via the I/O 350 and providedto the processing engine 120 and/or other components of the imagingsystem 100 via the network 130.

To implement various modules, units, and their functionalities describedin the present disclosure, computer hardware platforms may be used asthe hardware platform(s) for one or more of the elements describedherein. A computer with user interface elements may be used to implementa personal computer (PC) or any other type of work station or externaldevice. A computer may also act as a server if appropriately programmed.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processing engine120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Theprocessing engine 120 may include an obtaining module 410, adetermination module 420, a selection module 430, a scheduling module440, and an updating module 450. In some embodiments, the obtainingmodule 410, the determination module 420, the selection module 430, thescheduling module 440, and/or the updating module 450 may be connectedto and/or communicate with each other via a wired connection, a wirelessconnection, or any combination thereof.

The obtaining module 410 may be configured to obtain informationrelating to an object. In some embodiments, the object may be a patientand the information relating to the object may include theidentification number of the patient, the name of the patient, thegender of the patient, the age of the patient, the weight of thepatient, the height of the patient, the historical information (e.g.,historical examination information) of the patient, a specific portionof a patient to be scanned, etc. Additionally or alternatively, theinformation relating to an object may include a scanning protocol of theobject. The scanning protocol may include information related to ascanning parameter (e.g., a pitch of a CT scanning) associated with thescanning, and/or an image reconstruction parameter (e.g., areconstruction algorithm of a CT scanning) associated with the scanning.In some embodiments, the obtaining module 410 may obtain the informationrelating to the object from the storage device 140, the terminaldevice(s) 150, a radiology information system (RIS) (not shown) that isconnected to or communicated with the imaging system 100, etc. In someembodiments, the obtaining module 410 may obtain the informationrelating to the object from a user (e.g., a technician, a doctor) via aninput device (e.g., a touchscreen, a keyboard).

The obtaining module 410 may also obtain information relating to aprevious operation of a scanning device (e.g., the scanning device(s)110). The previous operation of the scanning device may include anoperation that is completed before the scanning device (or the obtainingmodule 410) obtains information relating to an object to be scanned bythe scanning device. The previous operation of the scanning device mayalso include an operation that is being performed but starts before thescanning device (or the obtaining module 410) obtains the informationrelating to the object to be scanned by the scanning device. Theobtaining module 410 may obtain the information relating to the previousoperation of the scanning device from a database. In some embodiments,the database may be implemented in the storage device 140, a storagemodule of the processing engine 120 (not shown), a storage module of thescanning device(s) 110 (not shown), or an external source.

The obtaining module 410 may also obtain information relating to aplurality of scannings to be performed by a scanning device. Each of theplurality of scannings may correspond to an object to be scanned by thescanning device.

The determination module 420 may be configured to determine a targetoperation mode for an object according to the information relating tothe object. The target operation mode may be an operation mode that issuitable for the object. Merely by way of example, the target operationmode of a scanning device may be an emergency operation mode, a coronaryheart disease operation mode, or a low-dose physical examination mode,an operation mode associated with a CT enhanced scanning, an operationmode associated with a CT plain scanning, etc. In some embodiments, thedetermination module 420 may determine the target operation mode for theobject based on, for example, the target portion of the object to bescanned, the scanning protocol of the object, or the like, or acombination thereof.

The selection module 430 may be configured to select, among a pluralityof candidate scanning devices (e.g., the scanning devices 110-1, 110-2,. . . , 110-n), a target scanning device for an object according to thetarget operation mode for the object and the information relating to theprevious operations of the plurality of candidate scanning devices. Thetarget scanning device may be a candidate scanning device of which thepervious information matches the target operation mode. In someembodiments, the selection module 430 may select a target scanningdevice according to the target operation mode and the informationrelating to the most recent operations of the plurality of candidatescanning devices. In some embodiments, the selection module 430 mayselect a target scanning device according to the target operation modeand the information relating to the plurality of previous operations ofthe plurality of candidate scanning devices. Detailed description of theselection of the target scanning device will be found in FIG. 6 and thedescription thereof.

The scheduling module 440 may be configured to generate a schedule foroperating a scanning device (e.g., a target scanning device) to scan anobject. The schedule may include a time arrangement or time window inwhich the scanning device is available or suitable for performing thescanning of the object. In some embodiments, when the scanning device isconfigured to perform a plurality of scannings on different objects, thescheduling module 440 may generate the schedule based on the urgencydegree of each scanning. For example, a heart region of a patient havinga heart attack may be scanned by the scanning device with the highestpriority.

The scheduling module 440 may also determine a ranking of a plurality ofscannings to be performed on a scanning device. The ranking may refer toan order of the plurality of scannings to be performed by the scanningdevice. In some embodiments, the scheduling module 440 may determine theranking based on the information relating to the most recent operationof the scanning device. Detailed description of the determination of theranking will be found in FIG. 7 and the description thereof.

The updating module 450 may be configured to update the informationrelating to operations performed by a scanning device (e.g., the targetscanning device) in a database (e.g., a database implemented in thestorage device 140). For example, after the target scanning device scansan object, the updating module 450 may update and/or store theinformation relating to the operation performed by the target scanningdevice in the database. In some embodiments, the updating module 450 mayimmediately update the information in the database after the scanning iscompleted. In some embodiments, the updating module 450 may periodicallyupdate the information in the database according to a schedule (e.g.,updating once every two weeks).

In some embodiments, one or more modules illustrated in FIG. 4 may beimplemented in at least part of the imaging system 100 as illustrated inFIG. 1 . For example, the obtaining module 410, the determination module420, the selection module 430, the scheduling module 440, and/or theupdating module 450 may be integrated into a console (not shown). Viathe console, a user may set parameters for scanning an object,controlling imaging processes, controlling parameters for reconstructionof an image, visualizing a virtual scene associated with the object,etc. In some embodiments, the console may be implemented via theprocessing engine 120 and/or the terminal device(s) 150.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 500 for scanningan object according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Insome embodiments, one or more operations of the process 500 illustratedin FIG. 5 may be executed by one or more components of the imagingsystem 100. For example, the process 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 may beimplemented as a set of instructions stored in the storage device 140.The processing engine 120, the processor 220 of the computing device 200illustrated in FIG. 2 , and/or the processor 340 of the mobile device300 illustrated in FIG. 3 may execute the set of instructions and mayaccordingly be directed to perform the process 500. For illustrationpurposes, the implement of the process 500 in the processing engine 120is described herein as an example. It shall be noted that the process500 can also be similarly implemented in the processor 220 of thecomputing device 200 and/or the processor 340 of the mobile device 300.

In 510, the obtaining module 410 may obtain information relating to anobject. The object may include substance, tissue, an organ, a specimen,a body, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments,the object may include a head, a breast, a lung, a pleura, amediastinum, an abdomen, a long intestine, a small intestine, a bladder,a gallbladder, a triple warmer, a pelvic cavity, a backbone,extremities, a skeleton, a blood vessel, or the like, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the obtaining module 410 may obtain theinformation relating to the object from the storage device 140, theterminal device(s) 150, a radiology information system (RIS) (not shown)that is connected to or communicates with the imaging system 100, etc.In some embodiments, the obtaining module 410 may obtain the informationrelating to the object by recognizing a barcode associated with theobject and obtaining the information associated with the recognizedbarcode. For example, the obtaining module 410 may include a barcodereader configured to scan the barcode attached to part of the object andobtain the information relating to the object. In some embodiments, theobtaining module 410 may include input devices (e.g., a touchscreen, akeyboard, or a voice input device) (not shown). The information relatingto the object may be input by a user (e.g., a technician, a doctor) viathe input devices.

In some embodiments, the object may be a patient and the informationrelating to the patient may include the identification number of thepatient, the name of the patient, the gender of the patient, the age ofthe patient, the weight of the patient, the height of the patient, thehistorical information (e.g., historical examination information) of thepatient, a specific portion of a patient to be scanned, etc.Additionally or alternatively, the information relating to an object mayinclude a scanning protocol of the object. The scanning protocol mayinclude information related to a scanning parameter associated with thescanning, and/or an image reconstruction parameter associated with thescanning. For brevity, a CT scanning is taken as an example in thefollowing description. The scanning parameter may include an X-ray tubevoltage (kV), an X-ray tube current (mA), a total exposure time, a scantype (e.g., a helical scan, an axial scan), a scan field of view (FOV),a pitch, a gantry tilt angle, a gantry rotation time, a slice thickness,etc. The image reconstruction parameter may include a reconstructionFOV, a reconstruction slice thickness, a reconstruction interval forimage reconstruction, a window width (WW), a window level (WL), areconstruction matrix, a reconstruction algorithm (e.g., a filtered backprojection algorithm, a fan-beam reconstruction algorithm, an iterativereconstruction algorithm), etc. In some embodiments, the scanningprotocol may be provided by a doctor or a technician.

In 520, the determination module 420 may determine a target operationmode for the object according to the information relating to the object.For example, the determination module 420 may determine the targetoperation mode for the object based on, for example, the target portionof the object to be scanned, the scanning protocol of the object, or thelike, or a combination thereof. The target operation mode may be anoperation mode that is suitable for the object. The target operationmode may be any one of the operation modes of a scanning device (e.g.,the scanning device 110-1) as described elsewhere in the disclosure(e.g., the emergency operation mode, the coronary heart diseaseoperation mode, the low-dose physical examination mode).

In some embodiments, the target operation mode may be associated with aCT enhanced scanning or a CT plain scanning. The CT enhanced scanningmay refer to a CT scanning on an object which is injected with acontrast medium. The CT plain scanning may refer to a CT scanning on anobject which is not injected with a contrast medium. As used herein, thecontrast medium may be used to enhance the contrast of structures orfluids within the object in an image. An exemplary contrast medium mayinclude iodine-based compounds, barium-sulfate compounds, etc.

In 530, the obtaining module 410 may obtain information relating toprevious operations of a plurality of candidate scanning devices. Acandidate scanning device may be a scanning device (e.g., the scanningdevice(s) 110) that is capable of performing the scanning on the object.For example, the plurality of candidate scanning devices may be thescanning devices 110-1, 110-2, . . . , 110-n as described in connectionwith FIG. 1 . The previous operation of a candidate scanning device mayrefer to an operation that has been performed or is being performed bythe candidate scanning device. For example, an operation that iscompleted by the scanning device 110-1 before the obtaining module 410obtains the information relating to the object may be regarded as aprevious operation of the scanning device 110-1. As another example, anoperation that is being performed but starts before the obtaining module410 obtains the information relating to the object may also be regardedas a previous operation.

The information relating to the previous operation of a candidatescanning device may include information relating to, for example, thespecific portion (e.g., a head, a breast, a lung) of an object scannedby the candidate scanning device, one or more scanning parameters (e.g.,kV, mA, scan FOV, etc.) and/or imaging reconstruction parameters (e.g.,reconstruction interval, WW, WL) associated with the previous operation.In some embodiments, the information relating to the previous operationof the candidate scanning device may include the information relating tothe most recent operation of the candidate scanning device. In someembodiments, the information relating to the previous operation of thecandidate scanning device may include the information relating to aplurality of previous operations of the candidate scanning device.

The information relating to the previous operations of the plurality ofcandidate scanning devices may be obtained from a database storing theinformation. The database may store information relating to operationsperformed by the plurality of candidate scanning devices. In someembodiments, the database may be implemented in the storage device 140,a storage module of the processing engine 120 (not shown), a storagemodule of the scanning device(s) 110 (not shown), or an external source.For example, the obtaining module 410 may obtain the informationrelating to the previous operations of the plurality of candidatescanning devices from the storage device 140 via, for example, thenetwork 130. In some embodiments, the information relating to theprevious operations of a candidate scanning device may be obtained fromthe database according to a mapping table that indicates a relationshipbetween the information relating to the previous operations and thecandidate scanning device. The mapping table may be immediately orperiodically updated when a candidate scanning device completes anoperation.

In 540, the selection module 430 may select, among the plurality ofcandidate scanning devices, a target scanning device for the objectaccording to the target operation mode and the information relating tothe previous operations of the plurality of candidate scanning devices.The target scanning device may be a candidate scanning device of whichthe information relating to the previous operation matches the targetoperation mode.

In some embodiments, the selection module 430 may select a targetscanning device according to the target operation mode and theinformation relating to the most recent operations of the plurality ofcandidate scanning devices. In some embodiments, the selection module430 may select a target scanning device according to the targetoperation mode and the information relating to the plurality of previousoperations of the plurality of candidate scanning devices. Detaileddescription of the selection of the target scanning device will be foundin FIG. 6 and the description thereof.

In 550, the scheduling module 440 may generate a schedule for operatingthe target scanning device to scan the object. The schedule may includea time arrangement or time window in which the target scanning device isavailable or suitable for performing the scanning of the object. In someembodiments, when the target scanning device is configured to perform aplurality of scannings on different objects, the scheduling module 440may generate the schedule based on the urgency degree of each scanning.For example, a patient having a heart attack may be scanned by thetarget scanning device with the highest priority.

In 560, after the target scanning device scans the object, the updatingmodule 450 may update the information relating to operations performedby the target scanning device in the database. For example, after thetarget scanning device scans the object, the updating module 450 mayupdate and/or store the information relating to the operation performedby the target scanning device on the object in the database. The updateof the information may be performed immediately after the scanning iscompleted or periodically according to a schedule (e.g., updating onceevery two weeks).

It should be noted that the above description of the process 500 ismerely provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinaryskills in the art, multiple variations or modifications may be madeunder the teachings of the present disclosure. However, those variationsand modifications do not depart from the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, operation 560 may be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 600 for scanningan object according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Insome embodiments, one or more operations of the process 600 illustratedin FIG. 6 may be executed by one or more components of the imagingsystem 100. For example, the process 600 illustrated in FIG. 6 may beimplemented as a set of instructions stored in the storage device 140.The processing engine 120, the processor 220 of the computing device 200illustrated in FIG. 2 , and/or the processor 340 of the mobile device300 illustrated in FIG. 3 may execute the set of instructions and mayaccordingly be directed to perform the process 600. For illustrationpurposes, the implement of the process 600 in the processing engine 120is described herein as an example, but the process 600 can also besimilarly implemented in the processor 220 of the computing device 200and/or the processor 340 of the mobile device 300. In some embodiments,operation 540 of the process 500 in FIG. 5 may be implemented byperforming one or more operations in the process 600.

In 610, the obtaining module 410 may obtain the information relating toan object. Operation 610 may be similar to operation 510 of FIG. 5 , andtherefore the descriptions thereof are not repeated here.

In 620, the determination module 420 may determine a target operationmode for the object according to the information relating to the object.Operation 620 may be similar to operation 520 of the process 500illustrated in FIG. 5 , and therefore the descriptions thereof are notrepeated here.

In 630, the obtaining module 410 may obtain the information relating tothe most recent operations of a plurality of candidate scanning devicesfrom a database. A candidate scanning device may be a scanning device(e.g., the scanning device(s) 110) that is capable of performing thescanning of the object. For example, the plurality of candidate scanningdevices may be the scanning devices 110-1, 110-2, . . . , 110-n asdescribed in connection with FIG. 1 .

The most recent operation of a candidate scanning device may refer tothe operation that starts at the time closest to the obtaining of theinformation relating to the object. For example, if no operation isbeing performed by the candidate scanning device, the last operationcompleted by the candidate scanning device may be regarded as the mostrecent operation of the candidate scanning device. As another example,if an operation is being performed by the candidate scanning device, theoperation may be regarded as the most recent operation of the candidatescanning device.

The most recent operation may be a CT scanning, a PET scanning, an MRIscanning, a PET-CT scanning, etc. The information relating to the mostrecent operation of the candidate scanning device may include a specificportion (e.g., a head, a breast, a lung) of an object scanned by thecandidate scanning device, a scanning parameter associated with the mostrecent operation, and/or an image reconstruction parameter associatedwith the most recent operation. The database storing the informationrelating to the most recent operations of the plurality of candidatescanning devices may be similar to that described in connection withoperation 530, and the descriptions thereof are not repeated.

In 640, the selection module 430 may select, among the plurality ofcandidate scanning devices, a target scanning device for the objectaccording to the target operation mode and the information relating tothe most recent operation of the target scanning device.

For example, the target scanning device may be a candidate scanningdevice whose most recent operation is consistent with the targetoperation mode. As the target operation mode relates to the informationof the object to be scanned, the selection module 430 may determine acandidate scanning device as the target scanning device if the selectionmodule 430 determines that the candidate scanning device satisfies acertain condition relating to the information of the object. Merely byway of example, the certain condition may include a first condition thatthe specific portion scanned in the most recent operation performed bythe candidate scanning device is the same as the target portion of theobject to be scanned, a second condition that a scanning parameterassociated with the most recent operation performed by the candidatescanning device is the same as the scanning parameter associated withthe scanning to be performed on the object, and/or a third conditionthat an image reconstruction parameter associated with the most recentoperation performed by the candidate scanning device is the same as theimage reconstruction parameter associated with the scanning to beperformed on the object. In some embodiments, the selection module 430may determine a candidate scanning device as the target scanning deviceif the selection module 430 determines that the candidate scanningdevice satisfies the most amount of the three conditions (e.g., all ofthe three conditions). In some embodiments, if more than one candidatescanning device satisfies the condition(s) or the most amount of theconditions, the selection module 430 may randomly select a candidatescanning device from the more than one candidate scanning device as thetarget scanning device. It shall be noted that the description of threeconditions with respect to the most recent operation is merely providedfor illustration purpose, multiple variations or modifications (e.g.,more than three conditions are provided) may be made under the teachingsof the present disclosure. However, those variations and modificationsdo not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

In 650, the obtaining module 410 may obtain the information relating tothe plurality of previous operations of the plurality of candidatescanning devices from the database. The plurality of previous operationsof a candidate scanning device may refer to the previous operations thatare previously performed by the candidate scanning device before theinformation relating to the object is obtained in 610.

The plurality of previous operations may include CT scannings, PETscannings, MRI scannings, PET-CT scannings, etc. The informationrelating to the plurality of previous operations of the candidatescanning device may include specific portions (e.g., heads, breasts,lungs) of objects scanned by the candidate scanning device, scanningparameters associated with the plurality of previous operationsperformed by the candidate scanning device, and/or image reconstructionparameters associated with the plurality of previous operationsperformed by the candidate scanning device.

In 660, the selection module 430 may select, among the plurality ofcandidate scanning devices, a target scanning device for the objectaccording to the target operation mode and the information relating tothe plurality of previous operations of the target scanning device.

In some embodiments, for each of the plurality of candidate scanningdevices, the selection module 430 may determine the information relatingto the most frequent operations among the plurality of previousoperations of the corresponding candidate scanning device. Theinformation relating to the most frequent operations performed by acandidate scanning device may include the specific portion scanned inthe most frequent operations performed by the candidate scanning device,a scanning parameter associated with the most frequent operationsperformed by the candidate scanning device, and/or an imagereconstruction parameter associated with the most frequent operationsperformed by the candidate scanning device.

The selection module 430 may determine a candidate scanning device asthe target scanning device if the selection module 430 determines thatthe candidate scanning device satisfies a specific condition relating tothe information of the object. Merely by way of example, the specificcondition may include a fourth condition that the specific portionscanned in the most frequent operations performed by the candidatescanning device is the same as the target portion of the object to bescanned, a fifth condition that a scanning parameter associated with themost frequent operations performed by the candidate scanning device isthe same as the scanning parameter associated with the scanning to beperformed on the object, and/or a sixth condition that an imagereconstruction parameter associated with the most frequent operationsperformed by the candidate scanning device is the same as the imagereconstruction parameter associated with the scanning to be performed onthe object. In some embodiments, the selection module 430 may determinea candidate scanning device as the target scanning device if theselection module 430 determines that the candidate scanning devicesatisfies the most amount of the three conditions (e.g., all of thethree conditions). In some embodiments, if more than one candidatescanning device satisfies the condition(s) or the most amount of theconditions, the selection module 430 may randomly select a candidatescanning device from the more than one candidate scanning device as thetarget scanning device. It shall be noted that the description of threeconditions with respect to the most frequent operation is merelyprovided for illustration purpose, multiple variations or modifications(e.g., more than three conditions are provided) may be made under theteachings of the present disclosure. However, those variations andmodifications do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

In 670, the scheduling module 440 may generate a schedule for operatingthe target scanning device to scan the object. Operation 670 may besimilar to operation 550 in FIG. 5 , and the description thereof is notrepeated here.

It should be noted that the above description of the process 600 ismerely provided for illustration, and not intended to limit the scope ofthe present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art,multiple variations and modifications may be made to the process 600under the teachings of the present disclosure. However, those variationsand modifications do not depart from the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, operation 630 and operation 640 may beoptional. As another example, operation 650 and operation 660 may beoptional.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 700 foroperating a scanning device according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, one or more operations of the process700 illustrated in FIG. 7 may be executed by one or more components ofthe imaging system 100. For example, the process 700 illustrated in FIG.7 may be implemented as a set of instructions stored in the storagedevice 140. The processing engine 120, the processor 220 of thecomputing device 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 , and/or the processor 340 ofthe mobile device 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 may execute the set ofinstructions and may accordingly be directed to perform the process 700.For illustration purposes, the implement of the process 700 in theprocessing engine 120 is described herein as an example, but the process700 can also be similarly implemented in the processor 220 of thecomputing device 200 and/or the processor 340 of the mobile device 300.

In 710, the obtaining module 410 may obtain information relating to aplurality of scannings to be performed by a scanning device. Each of theplurality of scannings may correspond to an object associated with anoperation mode as described in connection with, for example, FIG. 5 andFIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the obtaining module 410 may obtain theinformation from the storage device 140, the terminal device(s) 150, orthe scanning device(s) 110. In some embodiments, the obtaining module410 may obtain the information from an RIS that is connected to orcommunicated with the imaging system 100.

In 720, the obtaining module 410 may obtain information relating to amost recent operation of the scanning device. As described elsewhere inthe disclosure, the most recent operation of the scanning device mayinclude information relating to, for example, the specific portion ofthe object in the most recent operation performed by the scanningdevice, a scanning parameter associated with the most recent operationperformed by the scanning device, and/or an image reconstructionparameter associated with the most recent operation performed by thescanning device.

In 730, the scheduling module 440 may determine a ranking of theplurality of scannings based on the information relating to the mostrecent operation of the scanning device. The ranking may refer to anorder of the plurality of scannings to be performed by the scanningdevice. In some embodiments, a scanning whose corresponding operationmode is the same as that of the most recent operation of the scanningdevice may be ranked with the highest priority. For example, thescheduling module 440 may rank a scanning at the first place if theinformation relating to the object in the scanning matches the mostrecent operation of the scanning device (e.g., the specific portion tobe scanned in the scanning is the same as that of the most recentoperation, a scanning parameter associated with the scanning is the sameas that of the most recent operation, and/or an image reconstructionparameter associated with the scanning is the same as that of the mostrecent operation).

In some embodiments, the scheduling module 440 may classify theplurality of scannings to be performed into one or more groups accordingto the information relating to the plurality of scannings. One or morescannings with similar information relating to the object may beclassified into the same group. The scannings belonging to the samegroup may be consecutively performed such that minimum adjustments ofthe scanning device (e.g., an adjustment of a scanning parameter) isperformed during the plurality of scannings. For example, for a CTsystem, the scanning device may sequentially perform the scannings thatbelong to the same group according to a same gantry rotation time (e.g.,0.3 seconds, 3 seconds). The gantry rotation time may refer to the timerequired to complete one full rotation (360 degrees) of the X-raytube/detector around the object.

It should be noted that the description of the process 700 is providedfor the purposes of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope ofthe present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art,various variations and modifications may be conducted under the teachingof the present disclosure. However, those variations and modificationsmay not depart from the protecting of the present disclosure. Forexample, operations 710 and 720 may be performed simultaneously. Asanother example, operation 730 may be omitted, and the plurality ofscanning obtained by the obtaining module 410 may be performed by ascanning device according to a same scanning parameter (e.g., the samegantry rotation time).

Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent tothose skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that theforegoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way ofexample only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, andmodifications may occur and are intended to those skilled in the art,though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, andmodifications are intended to be suggested by the present disclosure andare within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments ofthe present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” and/or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or morereferences to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternativeembodiment” in various portions of this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures or characteristics may be combined assuitable in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects ofthe present disclosure may be illustrated and described herein in any ofa number of patentable classes or context including any new and usefulprocess, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new anduseful improvement thereof.

Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may be implementedentirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, residentsoftware, micro-code, etc.) or combining software and hardwareimplementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a “unit,”“module,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosuremay take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or morecomputer-readable media having computer readable program code embodiedthereon.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including electromagnetic, optical, or thelike, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that may communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on acomputer readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriatemedium, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, or thelike, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object-oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB. NET,Python or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, suchas the “C” programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2103, Perl, COBOL2102, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby andGroovy, or other programming languages. The program code may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider) or in a cloud computing environment or offered as aservice such as a Software as a Service (SaaS).

Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, orthe use of numbers, letters, or other designations, therefore, is notintended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order exceptas may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosurediscusses through various examples what is currently considered to be avariety of useful embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the appended claimsare not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, areintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. For example,although the implementation of various components described above may beembodied in a hardware device, it may also be implemented as asoftware-only solution, for example, an installation on an existingserver or mobile device.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description ofembodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in theunderstanding of one or more of the various inventive embodiments. Thismethod of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed subject matter requires more features thanare expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments liein less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or propertiesused to describe and claim certain embodiments of the application are tobe understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about,”“approximate,” or “substantially.” For example, “about,” “approximate,”or “substantially” may indicate ±20% variation of the value itdescribes, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments,the numerical parameters set forth in the written description andattached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon thedesired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. Insome embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in lightof the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinaryrounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges andparameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of theapplication are approximations, the numerical values set forth in thespecific examples are reported as precisely as practicable.

Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patentapplications, and other material, such as articles, books,specifications, publications, documents, things, and/or the like,referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in itsentirety for all purposes, excepting any prosecution file historyassociated with same, any of same that is inconsistent with or inconflict with the present document, or any of same that may have alimiting affect as to the broadest scope of the claims now or laterassociated with the present document. By way of example, should there beany inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition,and/or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporatedmaterial and that associated with the present document, the description,definition, and/or the use of the term in the present document shallprevail.

In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of theapplication disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of theembodiments of the application. Other modifications that may be employedmay be within the scope of the application. Thus, by way of example, butnot of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of theapplication may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein.Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited tothat precisely as shown and described.

We claim:
 1. A system comprising: a storage device storing executableinstructions; and at least one processor in communication with thestorage device, wherein when executing the executable instructions, theat least one processor is configured to cause the system to: obtaininformation relating to a plurality of scannings to be performed on atarget scanning device; obtain information relating to one or moreprevious operations of the target scanning device from a database, thedatabase storing information relating to operations performed by thetarget scanning device; determine, based on the information relating toone or more previous operations of the target scanning device, a rankingof the plurality of scannings according to which the target scanningdevice is configured to perform the plurality of scannings; and operatethe target scanning device to perform the plurality of scannings.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein to determine a ranking of the plurality ofscannings, the at least one processor is configured to cause the systemto: obtaining information relating to a most recent operation of thetarget scanning device; and determining the ranking of the plurality ofscannings based on the information relating to the most recent operationof the target scanning device.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein each ofthe plurality of scannings corresponds to an operation mode, a scanningwhose corresponding operation mode is the same as that of the mostrecent operation of the target scanning device is ranked with thehighest priority.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the informationrelating to the most recent operation of the target scanning deviceincludes information relating to at least one of: a portion of an objectin the most recent operation performed by the target scanning device, ascanning parameter associated with the most recent operation performedby the target scanning device, and an image reconstruction parameterassociated with the most recent operation performed by the targetscanning device.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more scanningswith similar information are classified into a same group, and scanningsbelonging to the same group are consecutively performed.
 6. The systemof claim 5, wherein the similar information of the one or more scanningsin the same group includes a same gantry rotation time.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured tocause the system to: update, after the target scanning device performsone or more of the plurality of scannings, the information relating tooperations performed by the target scanning device in the database. 8.The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to cause the system to: obtain information relating to anobject; determine a target operation mode for the object according tothe information relating to the object; obtain information relating toprevious operations of a plurality of candidate scanning devices;select, among the plurality of candidate scanning devices, a specificscanning device for the object according to the target operation modeand the information relating to the previous operations of the pluralityof candidate scanning devices; generate a schedule for operating thespecific scanning device to scan the object.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein to determine a target operation mode for the object, the atleast one processor is further configured to cause the system to:determine the target operation mode based on at least one of a targetportion of the object to be scanned, a scanning parameter associatedwith a scanning to be performed on the object, or an imagereconstruction parameter associated with a scanning to be performed onthe object.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to cause the system to: obtaininformation relating to a most recent operation of each of the pluralityof candidate scanning devices; and select the specific scanning devicefor the object according to the target operation mode and theinformation relating to the most recent operation of the specificscanning device.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to cause the system to: obtaininformation relating to a plurality of previous operations of theplurality of candidate scanning devices; and select the specificscanning device for the object according to the target operation modeand the information relating to the plurality of previous operations ofthe plurality of candidate scanning devices.
 12. The system of claim 8,wherein the target operation mode is associated with a CT enhancedscanning or a CT plain scanning.
 13. A method implemented on a computingdevice including a storage device and a processor, the methodcomprising: obtaining, by the processor, information relating to aplurality of scannings to be performed on a target scanning device;obtaining, by the processor, information relating to one or moreprevious operations of the target scanning device from a database, thedatabase storing information relating to operations performed by thetarget scanning device; determining, by the processor, based on theinformation relating to one or more previous operations of the targetscanning device, a ranking of the plurality of scannings according towhich the target scanning device is configured to perform the pluralityof scannings; and operating, by the processor, the target scanningdevice to perform the plurality of scannings.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein determining, by the processor, a ranking of the plurality ofscannings comprises: obtaining information relating to a most recentoperation of the target scanning device; and determining the ranking ofthe plurality of scannings based on the information relating to the mostrecent operation of the target scanning device.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein each of the plurality of scannings corresponds to anoperation mode, a scanning whose corresponding operation mode is thesame as that of the most recent operation of the target scanning deviceis ranked with the highest priority.
 16. The method of claim 14, whereinthe information relating to the most recent operation of the targetscanning device includes information relating to at least one of: aportion of an object in the most recent operation performed by thetarget scanning device, a scanning parameter associated with the mostrecent operation performed by the target scanning device, and an imagereconstruction parameter associated with the most recent operationperformed by the target scanning device.
 17. The method of claim 13,wherein one or more scannings with similar information are classifiedinto a same group, and scannings belonging to the same group areconsecutively performed.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the similarinformation of the one or more scannings in the same group includes asame gantry rotation time.
 19. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: updating, after the target scanning device performs one ormore of the plurality of scannings, the information relating tooperations performed by the target scanning device in the database. 20.A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer programproduct, the computer program product comprising instructions configuredto cause a computing device to: obtain information relating to aplurality of scannings to be performed on a target scanning device;obtain information relating to one or more previous operations of thetarget scanning device from a database, the database storing informationrelating to operations performed by the target scanning device;determine, based on the information relating to one or more previousoperations of the target scanning device, a ranking of the plurality ofscannings according to which the target scanning device is configured toperform the plurality of scannings; and operate the target scanningdevice to perform the plurality of scannings.